A robot made of the kinds of things one finds in the back of their garden shed is hitchhiking across Canada. HitchBOT was created by researchers David Smith and Frauke Zellerwho are studying the relationship between people and technology. The bucket-bodied creature is set to reach is final destination Sunday in Victoria, British Columbia.

HitchBOT is the ideal road trip guest,
programmed to ask and answer basic questions and to politely inform its compatriots when it needs to be plugged into a car's cigarette lighter to be recharged. It's also equipped with the ability to stand, via a retractable tripod, and comes with its own car seat, so drivers can strap it in. Remember, safety first.

The robot has been programmed to update social media with its adventures, posting dispatches on Twitter and Instagram, much to the delight of our neighbors to the north.

HitchBOT has probably been to more places than you this fine summer, spending the warm months traveling all over Canada visiting some cool yurts and being an unwitting participant in Internet memes that are over a year old.